Genesis 37:18-36
Sold by His Brothers
18Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.
19“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.
20“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”
21When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.
22“Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.
23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—
24and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.
25And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.
26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.
28So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
30returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
31Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.
32They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”
33His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
35All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Berean Standard Bible
Joseph's brothers see him from a distance before he reaches them. They conspire to kill him and say that his dreams will come to nothing. Reuben hears this and tries to rescue Joseph by telling them not to shed blood. He suggests throwing Joseph into a pit in the wilderness, planning to take him out later and return him to their father.
When Joseph arrives, the brothers strip off his long robe and throw him into an empty pit. They sit down to eat. A caravan of Ishmaelites is coming from Gilead, carrying gum, balm, and myrrh to Egypt. Judah suggests selling Joseph rather than killing him, arguing that he is their brother and their own flesh. The brothers agree and sell Joseph for twenty shekels of silver. The traders take him to Egypt.
Reuben returns to the pit and discovers that Joseph is gone. He tears his clothes and asks where he can turn. The brothers dip Joseph's robe in a young goat's blood and bring it to Jacob, asking whether he recognizes it. Jacob recognizes the robe, assumes a wild animal has devoured Joseph, tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and mourns for his son. His family tries to comfort him, but he refuses to be comforted.
Meanwhile, the Midianites sell Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. The brothers have turned jealousy into attempted murder, trafficking, and a lie that destroys their father's peace. The passage does not soften their actions because Joseph will later rise. The wrong is real, and the future rescue will have to pass through it.
Questions
1 What did the brothers first plan to do?
AnswerThey planned to kill Joseph.
2 What did Reuben suggest?
AnswerReuben suggested putting Joseph in an empty pit.
3 What did the brothers do with Joseph?
AnswerThey sold him to traders who took him to Egypt.
4 How did Jacob respond to the bloodied robe?
AnswerJacob mourned Joseph and refused to be comforted.
What This Means for Us
Dehumanizing someone usually begins before the obvious act of violence: in contempt, group pressure, and the decision to treat a sibling as a problem or commodity. Interrupt that process early. If someone is being threatened or trafficked, seek immediate help from trusted adults and authorities. A later good outcome never makes the original harm acceptable.
Prayer
God who hears the cries of the harmed, stop violence before resentment becomes a plan. Give bystanders courage to intervene and protect people from trafficking, exploitation, and lies. Comfort families who grieve a missing or abused loved one, and teach us never to treat a person as a problem to sell away. Amen.